A Shinobi’s Story (OC fanfic)
by ComfortJunkie
Summary: Follow Team 11 as they fight alongside the Rookie 9. Watch as the story unravels and join them as they fight to protect the Village hidden in the leaves. (Also I plan on changing the title) (also its better than it sounds, i just suck at summaries.)
1. The Final Graduation Exam

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I think we good here.**

**Also just want you to know that since I always watch the subs, which vary from site to site, canon dialogue may not be word for word. Because of this I may kinda skip over canon dialogue to avoid this, I'll will try to do this as little as possible though.**

**You know, imma just look up a script for the episodes and use that. I will also use the English words for the jutsu because it makes it a lot easier.**

**Thank you.**

It was the day before the final graduation exam, and all throughout the academy, future shinobi were in their seats, dutifully studying to ensure that they would indeed be promoted to Genin and earn their place as ninja. Working as though with each word, they could feel their destiny, their potential for greatness, growing steadily closer.

At least that's what most students were doing.

In one classroom however, Kaori was being poked.

"Kaori, you have to get up. The final exam is tomorrow and you need to be studying." A light voice called carefully, using the pen to poke her once again.

Kaori squinted her eyes open to see Mikazuki, her closest friend, and promptly turned her head further into her arms, attempting to hide her face "Let me sleep Bella" she mumbled into the cave she had made herself. "I need to restore my chakra." She drew out the last vowel, hoping that would sound like a reasonable enough excuse.

"We both know that's not true" came the same slightly annoyed voice, and with it another poke.

Kaori lifted her head for a moment, before turning to face away from her friend, facing instead towards some vague direction in the center of the class. "Shikamaru" her voice was muddled by sleep. "I need you to defend my laziness" she pleaded.

The reply was sent back to her after a moment of silence "Too busy being consumed by my own" he said "do it yourself" came Shikamaru's voice, the murky quality telling her that he too had been attempting to sleep.

"Noooooo" Kaori groaned, turning her head back into her arms in defeat.

Shikamaru could be heard grumbling as well "you women are all so troublesome" he said, as he did often, earning a very quite chuckle of affirmation from the resident emo in the class, Sasuke Uchiha.

At this sound, Kaori turned her head to look at Mikazuki "I told you so" she said, a somewhat smug, but mainly dopey, smile growing on her face.

Mikazuki, narrowed her eyes, taking on a puzzled look for a moment before giving yet another annoyed sigh. "Even you have to admit that was a stretch. In no way does it mean that he's..."

Kaori starled up quickly with a slight squeak as the door was thrown open. Iruka-Sensei, their teacher, entered the room, dragging a tied up and kicking Naruto behind him before proceeding to lecture him in the center of the class.

By the time he had finished, all the students were lined up in the front, Naruto's actions having resulted in Iruka declaring that the whole class was required to do a re-take of the transformation jutsu test, regardless of whether or not they had already passed it.

Kaori shot Mikazuki a quick sympathetic glance, knowing that she had barely passed it the first time. The transformation jutsu had never been one of her strong suits and she just hoped the girl would be able to pass it a second time.

Sakura was called to go first, performing the transformation with nearly perfect technique.

"I did it!" She yelled happily, grinning widely "Sasuke, did you see that!" She called out to him, like the fangirl she was.

From beside Kaori, a grunt was heard accompanied by the words "damn Uchiha."

Kaori turned to the speaker, a single eyebrow raised, before realizing that it was just Yuuto. His apparent dislike of Sasuke was well known throughout the class.

Mikazuki turned to face him as well, her voice returning once again to its usual timid volume. "I still don't get why you hate him so much" she said before backing up her reply "he never really says anything, I can't imagine how he could have offended you." She told him, despite having told him on many occasions in the past.

Yuuto sighed as he turned to the two girls "as I've told you before, he hasn't done anything to offend me." He shrugged before smiling "you know, let's just watch. If we're lucky, we might actually score higher this time" he suggested, turning to see Naruto walking up towards the center to be tested again.

Kaori rolled her eyes at Yuuto's avoidance before turning to watch the rest of her classmates test, starting with Naruto.

Smoke surrounded him as he transformed before slowly beginning to fade away. When it finally cleared up, Kaori nearly choked on her own spit.

Instead of transforming into Iruka, as he had been instructed, he had transformed into a girl, similar in appearance to himself, with blue eyes, blond pigtails, and even whisker-like markings on the face.

Except that the girl was naked. Little clouds of the remaining smoke being the only thing shielding her view.

Kaori was desperately trying not laugh, and the rest of the students had mixed reactions, from Shikamaru's eye roll, to Hinata's bright red face, to Sakura's bright red face, though hers was red with anger. Iruka however, had earned himself a massive nosebleed.

Naruto transformed back with another cloud of smoke and a fit of laughter "Gotcha!" He yelled "That was my sexy jutsu!" He proclaimed proudly, pointing at the fallen Sensei.

"Cut the stupid tricks! This is your last warning!" Iruka yelled angrily at the boy before promptly sending him to the back of the line.

The rest of the re-test passed rather smoothly, everyone was able to pass it in the end, though some people had more trouble then others and soon class was being dismissed.

"Don't forget that the Graduation Exam is tomorrow" came Iruka-Sensei's voice to remind them as they all exited the classroom.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o

It was the next day and everyone had gathered in the classroom, and were now waiting patiently for Iruka to arrive.

After about 6 minutes, their Sensei walked in, grabbing a stack of papers before speaking up "we will now start the Final Exam. When your name is called proceed to the testing room" he instructed his students before speaking up once again. "The final test will be on" he paused to check the paper is his hand "the clone jutsu" he informed them all before entering the testing room himself.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Iruka stepped in, calling out Shino's name and holding open the door, waiting for Shino to enter before following, the door closing behind him. The same thing happened when he returned for Choji, before the door opened once again.

"Bakkuso, Kaori" Iruka called out and Kaori stood, a confident grin on her face.

As she reached the door she turned to face the rest of the class "my dear friends, it has been my honor and privilege to train with each and everyone of you. However, it is time for the trial of a lifetime, quite possibly the hardest task we will ever have to face" she said with her tone mockingly serious. "I will see you on the other side, my brethren" she said before bowing dramatically.

Iruka-Sensei simply rolled his eyes at her antics before cuffing her on the back of the head, "Get in there" he reprimanded with a laugh as she turned to enter the room, the door closing behind her.

Kaori walked to the center, standing before a table of Leaf Shinobi, Iruka taking his seat among them. The one in the middle spoke up "Whenever you're ready" he told her before setting his pen down to watch.

Kaori tried for a smirk "whenever I want, eh?" She tried to joke but silenced herself at the unnerving glares the judges sent her way. She took a deep breath before making the hand sign.

She closed her eyes as she performed the jutsu, opening them back up again to see four clones at her side. She let out a cocky laugh. "So, how did I do?" She asked with a smirk as she made the clones disappear.

"Congratulations" said one of the judges, "you've passed" he told her, one of the headbands held in his outstretched hand, which she received with pride "now if you would please exit through the door on the right so we could continue with the examination" he said with a gesture towards the door.

Kaori nodded before exiting the room, headband in her grasp and a grin on her face, exiting into a school hallway. It appeared to be empty so after a moment of thought, Kaori went to lean against the wall, waiting by the door for her friends. She sighed, realizing that if they continued alphabetically, as she suspected, they had been, it would be awhile before Mikazuki came out, and even longer before Ino would be done.

Kaori settled down on the floor, getting ready for the long wait. Perhaps this way she could figure out who passed without having to wait the extra day.

It wasn't long before the door opened once again, Sakura coming out of the testing room, further confirming Kaori's theory that they were being called in alphabetical order.

"So did you pass?" Kaori asked once the door had closed.

The kunoichi smiled "With flying colors" She bragged, her hands clasped cheerfully in front of her.

Kaori chuckled "I thought so" she confirmed "you always do really well on these tests" she commented, earning a grin from Sakura.

"Well I better be going, my parents are probably waiting" Sakura said as she waved before walking down the hall, a slight skip in her step.

By the time Mikazuki came out, it had been about 45 minutes, and by the looks of it, Naruto had been the only one who wasn't able to pass so far.

Kaori grinned, standing from her position on the floor. "So, did you make it?" She asked desperately, sounding as though the answer was a matter of life or death.

Mikazuki smiled as she nodded, her head ducked to hide that her soft smile had grown into a full on grin.

"Yes girl!" Kaori cheered, clapping her hands together "congratulations!" She added after a brief celebration, before resting a hand on Mikazuki's shoulder. "Now we just need to wait for our flower child, and the circle will be complete." A grin grew on her face as well as it finally registered that her closest friend had passed as well.

"I really hope Ino makes it" Mikazuki commented before speaking up again as the thought entered her mind "so do you know who passed?" She asked.

Kaori shrugged "I'm not sure about Shino or Choji, but other than that everyone made it to Genin except for Naruto" she said with a nod to inform her that she was done.

Mikazuki leaned against the wall next to her "that's a shame" she said with a frown, "he was nice, seemed to have a tolerance to nightshade too." She said with a chuckle.

Kaori laughed "girl, I swear he found a ton of them during the training exercises" she said, realizing that it would probably be a lot quieter, and a lot more boring with him gone.

And on that note the door swung open, revealing Ino's confidence face. She smirked as she flipped her pony tail. "Hey flower girls! Guess who just got promoted to Genin?" She said triumphantly.

Kaori tilted her head to smirk at Ino "Sasuke Uchiha?" She suggested, deciding to poke fun at her friend.

Ino responded with an eye roll "Well of course he did, he's amazing" she said, her voice completely serious, before she seemed to return to the matter at hand. "But no, I was talking about me, we all passed!" She cheered. Holding out her hands to the two of them, who were currently sitting on the floor. With a single glance at each other, they reached out their hands, standing up, ready to face the world as Shinobi of the Leaf.

"You're not using it as a headband, are you"

"Not a chance"

**Authors Note:**

**Yeah so I hope you guys like it so far, just want to let you know, Yuuto will have more of a focus in the near future.**

**Anyways, this is my first Naruto fanfic (and fanfic in general, but oh well) so I have no idea how this is going to turn out.**

**Thank you all so much for reading!**


	2. Orientation

Kaori had woken up bright and early, which was quite unusual for her, ready to get to the meeting for their orientation as Genin. This was when she would find out who her new teammates were. She stood in front of the mirror with a smile, holding her shinobi headband in both hands, trying to figure out where to put it.

She would have simply put it on her forehead like most people did, but she didn't really trust that it wouldn't fall off. She shrugged at her reflection, tying it around her neck for the time being, before she came to a realization: her loose hair was going to be a problem.

Kaori laughed, she would have to talk to Ino about that when she got the chance. Grabbing her weapons belt, she exited the building, heading towards the academy and successfully avoiding interaction with her parents.

When she got to the academy, Mikazuki was already there, sitting in her seat. Kaori wasn't surprised. Sometimes it seemed as if the girl practically lived in the academy since she spent so much time there. That would change now that they were Genin though.

All of a sudden, the door slammed open, Ino and Sakura rushing in before they proceeded to bicker over who had entered the room first. Suddenly, Sakura stopped, turning to look at Sasuke with a smile before running his way.

Naruto stood up with a smile, completely misunderstanding the situation "G-Good morning, Sakur..." he began before being pushed out of the way as Sakura came to stand before Sasuke.

Kaori sighed at her antics. The four of them, Mikazuki, Ino, Sakura, and herself, had been really close when they were little. She looked up at Yuuto, who had already face planted on the desk. No one in this room had more reason to hate Sasuke than she did. He had torn the four apart, and though Kaori and Mikazuki, who were unaffected by Sasuke's charm, tried to mend the bonds, Sakura slowly slipped away, for they had known Ino longer. At this point, Mikazuki was really the only one who was still just as close with each of them as she had been in the beginning. And yet for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to hate him. Maybe she really was affected by his charm, though she doubted it.

Kaori exited that train of thought, returning her attention to the scene before her. A crowd of people had gathered by Sasuke's desk, arguing over who would get to sit next to him, while Naruto was perched on the desk, glaring, his nose a mere centimeter away from Sasuke's.

All of a sudden, the kid who had been sitting in front of Sasuke backed up his head, accidentally bumping into Naruto, causing the his lips to meet the Uchiha's.

Kaori's eyes widened and her jaw dropped into an excited grin. She pointed at the scene before her, her breath held as she rapidly tapped Mikazuki's shoulder, bouncing up and down slightly in her chair

Mikazuki, who has been previously toying with her headband, looked up, an amused smile on her face at her friend's obvious excitement. When she saw what Kaori was pointing at, Mikazuki's smile grew and a short laugh escaped her throat.

The two boys separated, gagging violently away from each other before Naruto turned to face the group of fangirls with an utterly horrified expression.

Kaori though, was ignorant of all of this, as she was too consumed in her own kind of fangirling. "See, it's happening! How many times did I tell you!" she exclaimed, reasoning that it was probably because of all the fangirls.

Mikazuki leaned her forehead on her palm "they're literally gagging, there's no way that counts" she informed her friend.

Kaori clasped her hands together "but it's a start" she said reaching to clasp Mikazuki's hands instead. "Just you wait. One day, I will prove to you that Sasuke is gay, it's only a matter of time." She reassured her, causing Mikazuki to roll her eyes once more.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o

By this point Naruto was all bruised up and Iruka was standing at the front of the room.

He addressed he group of students as he spoke.

"As of today, you have all become full fledged Ninjas." He said, his eyes scanning over the class. "However you're still Genin. The tough part is yet to come"

With that warning, Iruka continued "From here on, you'll be in a squad of three and carry out your missions under your Jonin teachers. The groups have been determined so that the strength of the groups will be balanced." Iruka lifted the papers he was holding, so that they were at his eye level "now for the assignments."

Iruka went through the assignments for teams, placing Sakura with Sasuke and Naruto, Kiba with Hinata and Shino, and Ino with Shikamaru and Choji.

"Group Eleven." Iruka announced "Kaori Bakkuso" he said, causing her to refocus "Mikazuki Saoshi" Kaori smirked, leaning back confidently in her chair. "And Yuuto Nagataki" he finished, a triumphant laugh sounding behind them.

Iruka closed the clipboard "and that's all for the group division" he said as Naruto stood up, protesting against his group before being bluntly put back down.

Iruka sighed "In the afternoon, I'll introduce you to your Jonin teachers. You're dismissed until then" he told them all before watching as the class cleared out.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o

Kaori and Mikazuki were waiting by the exit as Yuuto walked out "hey guys, hope you don't mind me interrupting you're soulmate bonding time, but now that we're in the same group, I should probably try and get to know you two well enough to at least become a third wheel." He said with a smile, looking between the two girl.

Kaori, catching on, sent Mikazuki a suggestive smirk, while the other girl looked dumbfounded, her face slowly reddening as she attempted to stutter out a reply.

Yuuto laughed "nah, I'm just kidding" he said, accepting the high five Kaori had offered him "really though, I probably should start trying to get to know you better since you two seem pretty tight and I don't want to be left out" he said, gesturing with his hands as he spoke.

Mikazuki nodded, her face returning to its normal shade. "Anything in particular you want to know?" She asked as they walked down the street.

Yuuto looked briefly at the sky before looking back at them, "well, we don't know how long our new Sensei is going to keep us, so it might be a better idea to get to know each other over lunch" he suggested with a shrug.

The two kunoichi stopped walking, taking a moment to look at each other, as though they were having a silent conversation.

Yuuto watched the exchange with great interest, trying to take in every detail possible.

In the beginning Mikazuki looked nervous, bordering on scared, and Kaori simply looked concerned before Mikazuki bit her lip slightly, causing Kaori's eyes to widen in what he assumed was understanding before she tilted her head and gave a soft smile, her eyes flicking in his direction briefly as she gave a light shrug. Mikazuki looked as though in deep thought before she responding with a smile of her own.

Yuuto was very confused at this point, however he continued to watch, hoping to make some sense out of it.

It was only a split second before Mikazuki's face returned nervous, her tongue held between her teeth as she also glanced briefly at Yuuto. Kaori creased her brow in thought before she smiled with her lips pressed tightly together. Mikazuki gave a slight nod, Causing Kaori to laugh, which startled Yuuto slightly after the silence.

**(A/N: let's see if anyone has any idea what was going on right there)**

Kaori turned to Yuuto "I sure hope you like Ichiraku's because that's where we're going" she told him, waving over her shoulder, signaling for him to follow, as she continued to walk, leaving him staring dumbfounded after the pair.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o

The three Genin were now sitting at Ichiraku, eating calmly as Yuuto interrogated the other two.

"So you're saying the pattern could reach your whole body" he said, his eyes wide in disbelief.

Kaori shrugged "yeah, only if you're an idiot though" she answered him, taking another mouthful of ramen.

Yuuto narrowed his eyes inquisitively "why don't you just never release it?" He asked, seeing it at surface value.

Kaori put down her chopsticks before turning to look at him "you don't know much about Kekkei Genkai, do you?" She asked, causing him to shake his head "Well for this one, the pattern doesn't stop when it covers the surface, and it will start over, repeating until it burns something vital." She said seriously before shrugging and picking her chopsticks back up "there's also a more short term reason but I can't remember, and it was too complicated for me to understand anyways."

Yuuto took a deep breath breath "okay..." he muttered, slightly disturbed by the image that presented. He took the moment of silence to process that before asking his next question. "So what was that silent conversation back there?" He questioned, still unable to interpret what had happened.

The two kunoichi shared a look and for a second, he thought it was happening again, until Kaori turned to look back at him.

She held her hands up in surrender with another shrug "what can I say? It's a soulmate secret." She excused her silence and Yuuto figured he probably didn't want to know.

He leaned forward to look at Mikazuki "so what's your kekkei genkai?" He asked, having heard that it was rather powerful.

Mikazuki held out her hand, refusing to look his way as a purple flower began to grow an inch above her hand before settling in her palm. She looked up to see few smaller ones had also grown on the counter and with a quick hand sign, which didn't seem like one of the twelve basic ones, the rooted flowers matured into a dark purple berry before another unfamiliar hand seal caused them to move quickly above her hands, before she narrowed her eyes, crumbling the plants to dust. She then swiped her hand through the cloud, and it disappeared.

After this was done, Mikazuki returned her eyes to her lap. Yuuto opened his mouth to inquire further about this, before Kaori cut in "Bella has the ability to control the Atropa Belladonna plant, and before you ask, the consequences of her kekkei genkai will remain unsaid for now" she informed him, answering both of his prepared questions.

Yuuto shut his mouth before smiling "so that's why people call her Bella" he thought out loud, not at all prepared for the reaction he had just caused.

In a split second, Kaori had pulled out a kunai, a small cut appearing on the tip of her thumb and each of her fingertips. Yuuto's eyes widened as she pressed her now bleeding index finger to his cheek "people don't call her that" she seethed "not even Ino calls her that" she placed her middle on his cheek as well "only I get to call her Bella" she said, her stained ring finger coming the rest beside the other two "and that is a contract" her cut pinky touched down on his face "sealed in poison" she laid her thumb on his cheek, pausing now that all five of her wounded fingers were in place "and blood" she finished, dragging the pads of her fingers down so that they left five red streaks on his face.

Yuuto gulped as he watched Kaori pull a roll of bandages out from one of the pouches in her belt, wrapping it around each of her fingertips. Mikazuki shot him an apologetic glance before standing up and handing Tuechi the money to cover the cost before straightening herself.

"Well we should probably get going before we're late" she said as Kaori finished. Yuuto nodded silently, grabbing a napkin for the blood as he rose, beginning his trek towards the academy. It would be a challenge, but he made it his goal to figure these two out, and he would not stop until he succeeded.

"What was that about?"

"Sorry, she just has a flair for the dramatic"


	3. A New Beginning

Once again, the newly acquainted group of three were walking down the halls of the academy that they had trained in for the last four years of their lives.

Yuuto ran his hand along the wall as he walked "you know, I'm gonna miss this place" he said as his eyes followed the path of his hand.

Mikazuki looked up, being the only one who had heard, since Kaori was eagerly walking several paces ahead. "Yeah" her eyes watched his hand as it trailed along the boards "I had some of my best memories here" she commented, smiling softly in remembrance.

Yuuto took his gaze away from his hand, looking curiously at the girl before him "I hope you don't mind me asking," he started, letting her know that she didn't have to answer, "but was" he paused, not knowing how to refer to it, other than the name it had earned throughout his class, for he was unsure if she would be offended by the name.

Mikazuki looked at him expectantly. Yuuto sighed "Kaori's Deathwish" he said, wincing at the title his peers had chosen, knowing how inaccurate it was, now that he had met the girl. "Is that one of those memories?" He asked.

Mikazuki's smile widened, answering his question. "Yes" She whispered "Yes it is" she looked at the Kunoichi in front of her. Though the title it had received was inaccurate, Mikazuki had a feeling that no matter how many times Kaori said it, the phrase itself never got any less true.

"Here it is!" Kaori exclaimed, turning around to face them as they reached their assigned room, opening the door with a flourish.

Yuuto smiled, gesturing at Mikazuki "ladies first" he said, allowing her to pass before following her in.

Mikazuki took a seat at one of the desks to wait, watching as Kaori did the same, for they had been told by Iruka that their new teacher would be with them shortly. Yuuto however, stayed by the door, glancing around at the room before walking to the corner.

He had sensed a difference in the chakra signature in that part of the room, but nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. He reached out his hand, in case there was something his eyes had missed, feeling grooves along the wall that didn't seem to be there. He laughed as he traced the indentation.

Mikazuki looked up, "what is it?" She asked, getting up to join him.

Yuuto patted the corner "Seiichi Zenmura, huh?" He voiced, addressing no one in particular, laughing once more, "I see you're still signing your genjutsus" he announced.

As he said this, the room faded, revealing that they were indeed at one of the training grounds.

Yuuto narrowed his eyes as he sat up from the floor, looking suspiciously at the surroundings, while Kaori just looked overwhelmed, and Mikazuki just looked confused.

It was Yuuto who spoke up first "This isn't how it works, why are we here?" He asked, his look now slipping to confusion as well.

A voice sounded from behind them "I carried you while you were under the genjutsu" it stated casually as the speaker walked in front of them. He reached out a hand to Yuuto, who took it, standing up. He then offered his hand to Mikazuki, who stood up on her own.

However, when Kaori took the hand that was offered to her, he didn't let go. Instead he lifted it, to his eye level, observing the blood on her poorly wrapped finger tips.

He held it out for the other two to see. "Tell me," He said calmly "why didn't either of you help?"

Yuuto replied first "what do you mean?" He asked in return.

He moved Kaori's hand closer, "the blood is still wet so it must have happened less than an hour ago, the quality of the wrappings show that it was tied with one hand, and the familiarity you three seem to possess suggests that you spent the afternoon together, so why didn't you help?" He asked just as calmly as before.

Yuuto spoke up first "I probably should have" he admitted "I just didn't think about it at the time" he said with a glance at Kaori.

The Jonin turned next to Mikazuki "and you?" He said, already predicting her answer.

She looked up, her eyes confident, which admittedly surprised Yuuto, "I have a reason" she spoke, looking the Jonin dead in the eye. "But I would rather keep it to myself"

This was not the answer he was suspecting and he was about to protest when he saw a scattering of flowers at the girl's feet. "I see" he said with a nod, watching as the kunoichi glared at the flowers, causing them to wither. "Saoshi clan, I should have realized"

Kaori groaned "are we done now?" She asked, annoyance laced into her tone.

He turned to face her "first tell me this" he said, catching her off guard "why didn't you clean your kunai?" He said, holding it out to her, the dried blood visible on the edge.

Kaori's eyes widened "how did you get that?" She asked, hand snapping to her belt.

He laughed "I took it while you were in the genjutsu, don't worry" he said handing it back "really though, if you don't keep it clean it's going to rust." He told her as he sat on the floor, releasing her hand.

The three of them followed suit, taking a seat in the grass.

The Jonin spoke up once again, his voice cheerful "now let's get to know each other, give me your name and four things about yourself, they can be however trivial or significant you want" he said before adding "but it doesn't count if it's based off numbers" he clarified. "Why don't you go first" he said pointing at Mikazuki.

She startled, having thought she was safe, since she was in the middle. "Umm, My name is Mikazuki Saoshi and" she trailed off, trying to think about what to say. "I-uh, I'm afraid of bees, I guess" she suggested the first thing that came to mind, regretting it immediately. "And I" she tried to think of something else, glancing briefly at Kaori, simply out of habit, and latched onto a train of thought "I'm gonna be a great medical ninja"

This caught Kaori's attention and a look of recognition flickered across her face as she continued speaking, "I am far from normal" she said turning to smile at Kaori. "And above all, I hope we can make this last" she said before looking back at Seiichi.

He was smiling "Rough start but you did good at the end" he informed her, "now pick the next person" he told her.

Without hesitation Mikazuki pointed at her old friend and Kaori knew just what to say. The same thing she had said all those years ago.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o

_She was four years old, out next to the training ground, a stick she had found on the ground was held in her hand. She already knew at this point what she wanted to do. Someday she would be a great ninja and she would show her parents that she was right. They were wrong in saying that members of the Bakkuso clan made bad Shinobi. She never backed down from a challenge, and when she became a ninja one day, she would make that her ninja way._

_She threw the stick at the tree, pouting as once again, it stopped several feet short._

_"You're swinging your arm too wide." A melodic voice came from behind her. She turned around, seeing what her young eyes registered as an angel, with her loose white hair, her silver eyes and kimono, the gold ribbons wrapped around her waist. But what really caught her eye was the dark blue headband with the sign of the Leaf. The one that all Shinobi wore._

_The Genin bent down next to the girl, "if you keep your arm closer and get the power from your wrist, it'll go further and it'll be more accurate" she instructed, handing the girl back the stick and patting her head "never give up on your dreams little ninja" she said, in that beautiful voice of hers before standing to depart, but a hand stopped her._

_"You should put the headband on your neck or it'll fall" the four year old said with a pout._

_The angel chuckled, the sound echoing "maybe, but this is tradition" she said before turning her back, and walking into the distance._

_The child watched as she departed. She was just about ready to throw the stick again when she heard a loud squeak. Turning around, she saw some one about her age in the distance._

_She smiled looking at the stick in her hands, setting off in the direction of the girl, who was slowly backing away from some unknown enemy. "Come on Kaori, this is your first mission" she told her self._

_As kaori reached the scene she was crouched down, for she now observed that the villain causing all the panic was a bee. She readied her stick, remembering what she had been told, and threw it._

_The stick soared over the bee, missing by a lot._

_"Stupid angel" Kaori muttered._

_Instead she stood up grabbing a nearby rock and walking till she was standing over the bee. She held out her hand and with a grin, she released the rock, crushing the bee underneath. After grinding the rock against the ground for good measure, she began walking towards the girl, who was currently cowering under a tree._

_She peeled out from beneath her hands, seeing that the fiend had been defeated, "sorry" she muttered, looking down at the ground. "I guess you could say I'm afraid of bees"_

_Kaori smiled "that's cool, I'm afraid of doctors so bees really isn't that bad" she reassured her before holding out her hand to help her up. When the girl hesitated Kaori introduced herself, "hi, my name is Kaori Bakkuso, I'm gonna be a great fighter, I don't like normal people, and I hope that we can be friends" she said quickly, her words overflowing with energy._

_The girl's face wrinkled in confusion "that's not very smart, who's gonna help when you get hurt in fights?" She asked._

_Kaori opened her mouth to respond, only to realize she didn't have an answer. "Huh, I never thought about that" she responded._

_"Well then if you won't go to the doctor, then I'll just have to come with you" the girl said determinedly. "My name is Mikazuki Saoshi, I'm gonna be a great medical ninja, I am far from normal, and above all," Mikazuki took her hand and Kaori pulled her up to her feet. "I hope we can make this last."_

_Kaori shook her hand sealing the deal, deciding to take the angel's advice once more. She swore then, that she would never give up on this dream, and if it came to it, she would die for her new friend._

_She would die, for her sweet belladonna. And though it wouldn't be called this for quite some time, it was in that moment that Kaori's Deathwish came to be._

o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o

Kaori smiled as she responded "My name is Kaori Bakkuso, I have a fear of doctors, I'm gonna be a great fighter, I don't like normal people, and I hope that we can be friends." She said, winking at Mikazuki, before turning to point at Seiichi, "and I pick you for the next person"

He smiled "I had a feeling one of you would turn the tables" he laughed. "My name is Seiichi Zenmura, my clan used to have a kekkei genkai but it kinda died out, I have a twin sister, I am allergic to peppers, and I am missing my left pinky toe because I dropped a kunai on it as a Genin." He told them before pointing to Yuuto.

Yuuto laughed "I see how it is, you guys left the best for last" he joked before beginning "My name is Yuuto Nagataki, I am ambidextrous, my parents own a stable, I've been told I tend to rhyme without realizing it, and I always carry around these." He said reaching into a bag to pull out a couple of mini, handheld notebooks.

Kaori raised an eyebrow, but Seiichi simply placed his hands together in front of him, "Now that we're all nicely acquainted, it would probably be best to get to the matter at hand, and that is the final test to become Genin."

"I thought we already were" came Mikazuki's confused voice in response. Of course, she wasn't the only one confused, but the pride held by Kaori and Yuuto kept them from admitting they were uninformed.

Seiichi gestured with his hands as he talked "Unfortunately, that test was just to see who might qualify for Genin. The final test, though a requirement, is left up to the Jonin in charge of the squad. The test can be anything, from having to strike someone, to having to steal a bell, having to defend a certain object. I even heard of one Jonin who had his squad take a written test."

Yuuto glanced up at this "so what is our test going to be?" He inquired, wanting to be prepared.

"You will figure that out tomorrow." Seiichi told him, causing a great deal of annoyance, "meet at this training field at eight in the morning, and it might be wise to bring your full ninja gear" he instructed before standing.

"Now that everything is sorted out, it's time for me to go." He told them "See you three tomorrow" he waved at them as he turned to walk away.

The three Shinobi were left to just stare after him as they processed the information they had just been given. They couldn't mess up on this upcoming test or it all would have been for nothing.

They would be sent back to the Academy.

"What's that for?"

"Well he's allergic to peppers, isn't he?"


	4. Team 11’s Test

She took off running, regretting so many of the decisions she had made today. As she ran, she gripped the trip wire she favored as her weapon. She sprinted as fast as she could, given the current environment, grabbing everything she would need before rushing out into the natural light. She was at full speed now, racing to reach the meeting point, placing the items she had taken securely in her weapons belt and pulling on her fingerless gloves.

Her target was in sight now and Kaori skidded to a stop, breathing heavily as she reached her destination.

"You're late" came a voice from above her, which upon further investigation, was revealed to be Seiichi-Sensei, the one who would decide whether she would pass or fail today's test.

Kaori chuckled nervously, "About that" she began "the thing is I have this pet and it kind of got itself stuck in the toilet and I couldn't just leave it there so..." she trailed off indicating that she was done with a simple shrug.

Seiichi arched an eyebrow while Mikazuki facepalmed begins him. "Oh really? What kind of pet is it?" He asked, attempting to narrow her into a corner.

Kaori paled "well you see it's kind of a pet rock" she said, her hand coming to rest on the back of her neck. She paused to think for a moment before raising her hands defensively "but I swear it was worth it." She vowed "its one of my prized rocks, it's a lighting ridge black opal with purple pigmentation, and it's like this big." She told him, holding up her hand to indicate a size slightly larger than a golf ball.

Of course this excuse was a lie. There was no way she would ever be careless enough for that to happen. The rock she was talking about would forever remain in its special box by her bedside.

Seiichi sighed "well, let's just get started with the test" he said, deciding that he didn't feel like arguing about the value of a rock, especially one which he had never cared to associate himself with in the past.

Team 11 gathered in a circle, ready to receive their instructions.

Seiichi took out a single, intricately patterned card from his vest pocket before throwing it to impale in the ground. "Your test is meant to simulate a capture mission" he told them, steadily backing towards the tree line. "You have until sunset to capture me and return me to that point" he pointed towards the card.

Yuuto spoke up in protest "but that's ridiculous, you're a Jonin, there's no way we could..."

"Start" Seiichi interrupted before vanishing into the shrubbery, sending Yuuto dashing after him with a muttered curse, not wanting to lose his location.

Kaori smirked, turning to look at Mikazuki "so we're being tested on a capture mission?" She asked rhetorically.

Mikazuki kneeled down to examine the card at her feet before looking up "We're using the Canyon Relocation plan right?" She clarified with her friend.

Kaori nodded, "Add in a Travel Cage and this should be fun" she said with a laugh.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o

Yuuto was crouched, concealed behind the trunk of a tree, silently going through the many supplies he had stashed on him. He was lucky he had a tripwire with him. He would attack, and when the moment arose, he would use the wire to restrain him. He peeked his head briefly out from its cover, ensuring that Seiichi was standing turned away from his hiding spot, before once again taking refuge behind the tree.

Yuuto made a few quick hand-signs, saying the phrases in his head as the seals were formed: Mi, Hitsuji, Saru, I, Uma, Tora. He then leapt out from behind the tree bringing his hand in front of his mouth and blowing "Fire style: Fireball jutsu" he confirmed as he watched the flame race towards the Jonin that he had been tracking, who simply turned towards the ball of flame before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

Yuuto's eyes widened at the reveal of the clone, spinning to scan the area for the Shinobi he had lost track of. He quickly reached for the strap in his back, pulling out his favored Eku, which was similar in appearance to an oar, since that was what the weapon had originated as. He sent his fire style chakra through it, igniting the wood, before and lifted it to head level, ready to strike at a moment's notice

"Up here" came a voice from the trees,which Yuuto quickly turned towards, only to see his target complete a hand sign, which Yuuto quickly recognized as Tori, the sign of the bird. He smirked for a split second. He knew from Iruka-Sensei's lessons that the hand seal of the bird meant it was a wind style move. That meant his own chakra nature should make it so the move had no effect, but he startled as the move simply caused the wind to blow his way, and he was puzzled for a moment.

Usually, he had learned, wind style users would use their chakra as a kind of blade, so he had no idea what Seiichi was planning with this. However, he soon figured it out as the wind blew against the fire that lined his Eku, not only enlarging the flames, but also blowing them towards Yuuto's face.

"Your Fire is useless if it sits idle" Seiichi pointed out, disappearing once again. As the younger ninja was forced to dodge his own flame.

"Everything I do is useless against a full on Jonin" he countered, growing annoyed as he watched Seiichi walk calmly out of the trees, a spread out deck of cards in his hand.

"I bet I could beat you with this card alone" he said, pull one of the cards from the deck in his hand.

Yuuto narrowed his eyes, trying to see what he was getting at before he realized his true intent. He quickly put out the flame, returning the weapon to the strap on his back as he clenched his left fist hard, the points of his Kakute(pretty much a ring with sharp points)digging into his palm, drawing blood.

Yuuto released his clenched fist and Seiichi's eyes widening at his failed genjutsu, as Yuuto brought his hands up and performed two hand seals: first Tora, the tiger seal, followed by Hitsuji, or the ram seal. "Fire style: body flicker jutsu" he proclaimed, a small ball of fire encasing his body and when it cleared, he was no longer there.

Seiichi sighed his eyes glancing briefly in the direction from which heard the young fire user's slightly labored breathing. From the sound of it, Seiichi could tell that Yuuto was attempting to conceal the sound as much as possible. He had to admit, the kid was pretty good for a new genin, especially considering that he was fighting on his own.

Seiichi wondered briefly why the kid had bothered to learn how to counteract genjutsu, since it was a subject that wasn't talked about very much in the academy. Pushing the thought out of his mind, Seiichi continued to feign confusion as to the Genin's position.

From his spot within the bushes, Yuuto reached towards his waist with his right hand to grab the object he had equipped himself with just the other day. Of course, he had other options, but he felt this would get the job done quickest.

He then charged at the Jonin, holding the object in front of him and pressing the button on the top.

However, Seiichi leapt to the side, kicking office a nearby tree and vaulting over the spray, coming to land behind Yuuto. He gripped the boy's hand and pulled it behind his back. He then took and examined the bottle that had been used against him. "Pepper spray" he noted aloud as Yuuto struggled in his grip. "A smart buy, considering what I told you yesterday, but how would this help you to capture me?" He questioned, attempting to teach him that his means were unnecessary.

Yuuto laughed "you wouldn't be able to see" he countered as he turned his free hand, which now held his second bottle of the substance, and pressed the button, successfully getting the spray in the Jonin's eyes.

However his victory was short lived and before he could make a sound to address his victory, Yuuto found himself tied against the tree with his own wire. He stared in awe as the Jonin backed away from the tree, eyes clenched shut. Seiichi raised a hand to hover above his face, which had grown an uneven shade of red, and Yuuto watched as a green glow emitted from his hand, the healing chakra doing its job.

"How did you move that fast?" Yuuto asked once he was done, receiving a shrug in return.

"I suppose the main reason would be experience." He informed him "and good job on your success" he congratulated him. "Your team is now that much closer to passing." He said before disappearing once more into the trees, leaving Yuuto to stare after him, wondering what had just happened.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o

Seiichi walked once more through the trees seeking out the remaining two members. He had actually been sincerely surprised by many of Yuuto's actions, and was thus happy to pass him. He had previously witnessed Kaori and Mikazuki remove the card from the ground and suggest two techniques he was unfamiliar with.

He had a feeling that Kaori would do well with what he was testing for, but he wasn't quite as certain when it came to Mikazuki.

He sighed figuring that it would be best to head towards the canyon on this training ground, since it was mentioned in their brief discussion. He really hoped these three would pass.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o

Kaori smiled from her spot laying in a tree, she would probably get her butt kicked but it would be worth it in the end. "Range check" she called out, smiling as a nightshade flower rose beside her.

Kaori removed the wire from her one of the pockets her belt contained tying it around the trunk of the tree and checking her gloves. She leaped off the tree, wire flowing from the pouch on her belt. She had a ridiculous amount of wire, more than enough for a Travel Cage but the problem would lie in lasting long enough to complete the plan.

She rolled her shoulders bouncing briefly on her toes. Yuuto was unknowingly buying them more time than she thought he would. She stretched briefly, knowing what kind of maneuvering this plan required. Kaori removed the end of her second, obnoxiously long roll of wire, tying it one of the rocks she had prepared.

Glancing around she figured she had time to begin the cage. "Give me a bit of a lift?" She asked, before standing on the oversized belladonna flower that rose up to great her.

"Quit making me use up my chakra or I won't have enough when he shows up." a voice called out from the other side of the canyon.

"Wow, I didn't think about that" she replied sarcastically as she leapt onto the branch of the closest tree, before circling the clearing and alternately weaving through the trees until the top was complete, a rather quick task, before settling down to wait. They would wait all day if they had to, though that probably wouldn't be smart considering the time limit was sunset.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o

It wasn't long before Seiichi wandered into view, and Kaori was standing in the middle of the clearing, her wire payed on the floor of the clearing in an intricate pattern. Her other wire was slung over her shoulder, and her hands were held in a complex formation that resembled a hand sign.

She removed her hands from the hand sign and the wire glowed blue for a brief moment before returning to normal. As Seiichi approached, she removed the second wire from her shoulder, swinging it to hook onto the center of the net she had made above her. She moved away from the center as he calmly walked forward, pausing at the outline of the wire.

Kaori whistled as a flower once again grew beneath her, which she used to balance herself atop the net she had set. She gave a few bounces to test the strength of the net.

Seiichi, knowing that Kaori has no control over the flowers glanced around for the source, spotting Mikazuki hidden on the other side of the canyon, concealed within a small bush. As he was looking, Kaori used the spring of the net to leap outside the barrier, tightening her grip on the second wire so her momentum carried her around her feet heading towards the Jonin, who easily evaded, stepping to the side instead of being kicked into the perimeter.

Koari rotated her body in the air, so she was at the right angle to slip through one of the larger holes in her crosshatch of wire, landing on the net once again. She smiled at the Jonin, "nice dodge" she complimented, readjusting her feet.

Kaori had always been a skilled climber, and it was great hobby of hers since she was a kid. Whether it be rock climbing or tree climbing. When she discovered trip wire, she didn't hesitate to incorporate it into many of her a Mikazuki's plans. Experimenting with it and modifying it until it became less of a defensive tool, and more of an offensive weapon. She was also aided in her acrobatic maneuvers by the fact that she was double jointed in a strangely high number of places.

Kaori stood from her squat, walking along the net, confused as to why he hadn't attempted to attack yet. She bounced briefly on the edge of the web like formation before returning to the center. "Are you gonna do anything?" She asked, her short attention span very close to expiring.

Seiichi smiled at the girls already exasperated mood. "Not if that's clearly what you want me to do" he answered, his arms crossing over his chest.

Kaori wrinkled her nose, thinking for a moment. "Flower chain, I guess" she suggested, once again confusing Seiichi before a chain of belladonna flowers began to form from the ground, in a pattern similar to that of a daisy chain.

Seiichi calmly removed a kunai from his best and threw it, cutting the chain and causing it to fall limply to the ground.

Kaori groaned loudly, resisting the strong urge to fall flat on her back in annoyance, as she knew that without the careful footing that came naturally with years of practice, she would likely fall through a hole in the web, possibly messing up the alignment below.

She reached in her weapon belt, pulling out a stack of paper bombs. She looked around briefly at the many trees around her before placing them back in the pocket, attempting to ignore the amused laugh that came out of the Jonin's mouth.

She glared at him as he watched her take off her left glove and place it in one of her belt pockets, trading it instead for a single kunai. She then held the knife out in front of her. "Enlightenment" she announced to the one that Seiichi had successfully identified as Mikazuki.

Kaori narrowed her eyes determinedly, "then you have given me no choice, I will have to use my Kekkei Genkai." And with that she took the knife and slashed it across her palm, wincing slightly as she did so. She held her hand out in a vertical fist, blood trickling to the floor like grains of sand.

"Using my own blood as a conductor of chakra, I can use it to force you to walk to the rendezvous point yourself." She said with a slightly crazy looking grin on her face "Unfortunately, it is quite painful and the people I've used it on in the past have told me it's was extremely traumatic"

She turned her hand so it was face up and cupped it so that blood pooled in her palm. "Now I will leave you two choices" she declared confidently. "One: we do this the hard way and you end up seizing in a pool of my blood" she told him as the blood in her hand began to spill out the edges. "Or two: we can do this the easy way and you..."

But Seiichi interrupted her with an oddly thoughtful expression "That's not even remotely similar to the Bakkuso clan's kekkei genkai and you know it" he said, causing her to pause in her speech looking at a loss for words.

After a solid five seconds of silence, Kaori stuttered back to life "e-exactly, that's why it's all the more powerful, no on really knows how it..." she trailed off before glancing at her palm with a frown. "Yeah, I really can't recover from that one" she admitted, turning her hand so that the blood fell out of her palm, and onto the grass and wire below.

"In that case," she continued, making several hand signs before placing her bloodied palm in the center of the net "summoning jutsu" she called out before straightening "just kidding, I don't know how to do that" she admitted once again before a puzzled look appeared on her face.

Kaori dropped from the net and onto the floor with a soft thump. "Fine then, I'll face you one on one" she told him, removing her third and final wire, threading it through a kunai this time.

Seiichi smiled "alright with me" he said, pulling out his deck of cards, though he was sighing internally. He had held high hopes for this trio.

"On one condition" Kaori added, causing the Jonin to look up in surprise. "You fight without your genjutsu." She instructed, stepping out of the border formed by the wire and walking away from the canyon.

Seiichi followed after the girl, not putting away his card just yet. Perhaps they still had a chance. "And why would I agree to that?" He asked, one eyebrow raised inquisitively.

Kaori looked back towards the canyon, a conflicted look on her face. She then continued, her voice louder than before, to ensure that her friend could hear her as well. "Because if you agree" she proclaimed "then I will fight without Mikazuki" she told him.

Seiichi thought for a moment, it would be nice to see what the girl could do on her own, but he got the feeling that he could judge her skills more if he continued to observe the two working together.

He was about to turned down her offer when an explosion was heard from the direction of the canyon, followed by a brief scream.

Both their eyes widened as they turned to see that the top of the cliff face in which Mikazuki had been standing on was crumbling before their eyes, chunks of rock falling to crash down at the bottom of the canyon. And in the midst of the landslide, Mikazuki had fallen as well.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o

**(A/N: I was really tempted to end it right there, you are welcome)**

_Kaori sprinted the the edge of the cliff looking down to see Mikazuki laying on the bottom, a larger belladonna flower appeared to be crushed beneath her along with a scattering of petals. Seiichi on the other hand, had already channeled chakra to his feet and was half way down the wall of the canyon._

_He stopped as he reached the groaning and disoriented girl, picking her up before proceeding to run back up the canyon wall._

_As he did so muffled protests could be heard from the kid as she pushed against his chest in a weak attempt at resistance "H'm fine" she mumbled "use the plant" she tried, once again trying to make the Jonin let go "cushioned my fall, 'm fine, lemme go" she muttered, still pushing him away._

_As Seiichi reached the top of the cliff once again he set her down on the grass but was extremely startled when she stood up, all traces of her previously disoriented state having vanished._

_The girl was now smiling as she walked to Kaori. "Thanks for the ride back up" she told a now very disoriented Seiichi. She then turned back to her friend, hugging her briefly before she spoke up, "Target relocated" she informed her friend, whole backed up, rapidly clapping her hands with an excited grin._

_Seiichi just sat there, watching the scene with an extremely confused look as Kaori turned to him "I guess that means we won" she said as she pointed to one of the pockets in his vest._

_Seiichi narrowed his eyes as he checked the pocket, pulling out one of his many cards. He took not of the pattern on the card, as well as the dirt on the corner. He then flipped over the card to see the symbol on the other side, which confirmed his suspicions._

_This was the card he had thrown into the dirt, the one that the Genin had been told to return him to if they were to succeed. He let out a soft laugh "so what was the point of the wire?" He asked, since it still rested on the ground._

_Kaori perked up looking to Mikazuki who smiled making a series of hand seals: the dog, snake, and then a hand seal which he didn't recognize but it looked as though her right hand was making an upwards claw while her straightened left hand appeared to use her thumb grip beneath her right pinky, followed swiftly by the ram._

_After this was completed, Belladonna flowers rose to hook the wire that was on the floor, onto the mesh above it before fading to the ground, leaving Mikazuki rather winded and a rather sloppy cage where the wire had been._

_Kaori smiled proudly at Seiichi, "now if you don't mind, I'm going to tell you the whole plan because this plan is one of my babies"_

_o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o_

_Mikazuki made her way to the canyon, card in hand. She glanced back at Mikazuki who was quickly swirling the wire on the floor._

_Kaori glanced up at Mikazuki, "you sure you have enough chakra, that's a pretty deep canyon" she asked her, a concerned look on her face._

_Mikazuki turned back to her friend, "we've done this before we'll be fine" she said as she performed the necessary hand seals, "Hitsuji, Mi, Ushi, Inu, Hana" She said as she made the appropriate hand signs, petals flowing from her side before coming together to form a flower clone, a phrase that rolled off the tongue a lot better than belladonna clone._

_Kaori glanced at her friend as she moved onto another jutsu. "Kusaki, Tori, Mi, Inu, Tatsu" She said as a pillar of the blunt shot from her feet, impaling itself in the other side of the canyon. She stepped to the side as the clone walked across the makeshift bridge, hiding in a visible bush of the other side._

_Kaori's eyes widened "that isn't usually in the Canyon Relocation plan, is it?" She said worried._

_Mikazuki shrugged "not enough time" she made the dragon hand seal once again, relocating the base of the bridge so it was beneath the cliff, a bead of sweat appearing on her brow. She guided the weakening jutsu to line itself up at an angle before rooting it to the side of the canyon._

_With a brief wave she walked down the ramp she had made herself, watching as her clone planted the paper bomb on the opposite cliff face._

o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o

Seiichi let out a sigh "If I was actually testing you on a capture mission, you would have failed" he told them, watching as they paled. "In a real capture mission you can't just relocate the Hokage's office." He informed before continuing "now I think it would be wise to find Yuuto before I give you the final results, since I kinda left him tied to a tree" he said as he stood up, walking back into the forest.

Kaori and Mikazuki stood quickly to follow, not wanting to worsen the result of the test, after what the Jonin had just said.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o0O0o

When Seiichi reached the clearing where he had tied up the boy, he found him glaring "I really wish I was free right now, you just tied me up because I managed to actually affect you." He scolded, informing Seiichi of all the things he was already aware of "What? Are you so high and mighty that even the slightest little disadvantage gets you so flighty that you feel the need to completely immobilize your opponent?" Seiichi stood silent as he watched the kid "If I was free I would empty the whole bottle of pepper spray onto you. Heck I would by fifty more bottles of pepper spray just so you would have to suffer more for this. You're completely useless against the stuff, aren't you?!" He accused before calming down.

Seiichi began untying the ropes "Are you done?" He asked calmly, noting the kids heavy breathing once again.

Yuuto nodded as he was set free turning to walk towards the other two when Seiichi held out his hand. Yuuto looked up, slightly confused, which prompted Seiichi to hold up the bottle of pepper spray he had taken.

Yuuto quickly handed Seiichi the other bottle of the spray, but Seiichi kept his hand out. He grumbled as he reached into his belt bring out a third bottle, groaning when Seiichi didn't retract his hand. He reached to grab a fourth from his right ankle holster, a fifth from the one on his left, and a sixth from the one on his forearm.

He handed them to Seiichi before crossing his arms. "I know you have one more" Seiichi prompted, causing Yuuto to unclasp the vest he had on over his many layers, taking the seventh bottle of pepper spray from the inner pocket.

Seiichi smiled, putting the bottle in his own vest. "Stay here and I'll talk to you afterwards." He said as he turned to address all three of them "congratulations you all passed" He informed them "now I'm sure by now you have all realized that I wasn't really testing you on your ability to capture me"

He earned a scoff from Kaori "well duh, all standardized testing is rigged" she with a groan before laughing "that's why you have to re-rig it in your own favor" she told them

Yuuto looked at her questioningly "how in the world did you make it passed second grade?" He asked rhetorically.

Mikazuki answered for her "Iruka-Sensei, otherwise she would probably have been expelled"

Yuuto's eyes widened "what did you do?" He asked.

Kaori grinned "wrote in my own language and answered the questions with riddles, pictures, or just other questions." She said, pausing before she added "I also would sometimes write with.."

A cough interrupted her "I'm sure we would all love to hear more about how bad of a student Kaori was, but it's kind of a requirement for me to explain what I was testing you on." He paused, making sure they were paying attention "I was testing you on your ability to think outside the box, to avoid the predictable and surprise your opponent, something Yuuto did with the pepper spray, Mikazuki did with the whole clone diversion thing," he said as Yuuto looked at Mikazuki, wondering what he had missed "and Kaori is just unpredictable with her whole personality." He said before realizing something.

He sighed "Please refrain from braiding Mikazuki's hair until after you bandage the flesh wound you made in your palm." He groaned, looking at the two girls.

"But I'm fine, I've been eating the plant for three years" she excused "and I would gladly die for my sweet belladonna" she said, winking briefly at Yuuto who she knew would likely recognize the quote.

Yuuto snorted, recognizing the quote that was commonly referred to as Kaori's Deathwish.

Seiichi groaned "you three are impossible" he muttered to himself before standing "well now that you all know, meet me here tomorrow." He pointed at Kaori "you bandage your hand and stuff," he pointed at Mikazuki "you make sure she doesn't ignore me" he pointed at Yuuto "and you follow me" he stood up, walking away, into the trees.

The three grinned as the realization hit them.

They had passed.

"I feel like this test was literally made for me"

"You and your stupid unpredictable ego"


End file.
